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Advanced Placement Report to the Nation

In most ways, this year's Advanced Placement (AP) report differs little from previous editions; the familiar "Closing Equity Gaps" section shows that the proportion of minority students taking AP exams rose by a sliver, and the College Board again celebrates (without remarking on the self-serving elements of this) the continuing expansion of its tests in U.S. schools. In a third section, however, we find preliminary findings from two intriguing new studies. According to one, students in Texas who took AP exams "earned higher college GPAs and took more credit hours in the subject area of their exam than non-AP students." According to the other, AP students also had a higher four-year college graduation rate than their non-AP peers. Methodological details are sparse on these yet-to-be-released reports, however, making it hard to know whether there is a causal relationship between participation in AP and these welcome outcomes. Find it here.